Time switch having contacts controlled by movement of a traveling body



3,359,380 EMENT 1967 G. CRANSKENS ETAL TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MOV OF A TRAVELING BODY Filed Aug. 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 v mawm NQQ mm Georg B mnQKens wernersalger In ven tors Dec. 19, 1967 G. CRANSKENS ETAL 3,359,380

TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MOVEMENT Filed Aug. 30, 1965 OF A TRAVELING BODY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Georg Grams Ke'ns Werner Salyer In ven tors Dec. 19, 1967 G. CRANSKENS ETAL 3,359,380

TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MOVEMENT OF' A TRAVELING BODY Filed Aug. 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 3

Geog GramsKens Werner smiaer Inventor:-

3,359,380 ENT D 9, 1967 G. CRANSKENS ETAL TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MOVEM OF A TRAVELING BODY Filed Aug. 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 W .M r A. W

S o e m m e 9 mvf 1957 G. CRANSKENS ETAL 3,359,380

TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MOVEMENT OF A TRAVELING BODY Filed Aug. 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 5

Georg CramKevs W Finer 8013a r- Inventors United States Patent M 3,359,380 TIME SWITCH HAVING CONTACTS CONTROLLED BY MUVEMENT OF A TRAVELING BODY Georg Cranskens, Wedel, Schleswig-Holstein, and Werner Salger, Hamburg-Langenhorn, Germany, assignors to Lurnoprint Zindler KG, Hamburg, Germany Filed Aug. 30, I965, Ser. No. 483,588 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 31, 1964, L 48,676 (Ilaims. (Cl. 200-33) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLDSURE The invention relates to a time switch with a traveling body which is freely movable along a track and at the end of the track contacts a movable control member such as a ball whose movement actuates a set of switch contacts. Such a time switch is described, for instance, in U.S. Patent No. 3,296,390. The arrangement disclosed there includes means for selectively adjusting the time interval by varying the effective length of the track. In this arrangement, the control member pivots into a switch-closing position upon a launching of the ball and is restored to normal upon the return of the ball to its starting point. The ball launcher is tripped by an actuating member which engages in an angled guide slot.

A considerable problem with such time switches is that the body, preferably a steel ball, operating the control member must not exceed a certain size and, also, the switch contacts must be reliably actuated in response to a return of the traveling body to the control member. The limitation on the size of the ball arises from the fact that a large launcher, designed for a bigger ball, would require considerable forces, so that it would be necessary to increase the wall thicknesses of the housing which must absorb the recoil forces.

In an exposure timer, on the other hand, the switch contacts must be large enough to carry the pulse-like switching currents that flow on account of the relatively low resistances in the cold state of the exposure lamps.

It is of major importance to achieve a high contact pressure, on the one hand, and to minimize the contact stroke, on the other, for a rapid return of the movable contact.

The invention provides an improved form of switch from this standpoint.

In the special time switch which the invention is concerned with, a further problem arises from the mobility of the control member. If this member is unloaded, i.e. the ball is dislodged, the control member tends to move automatically into its alternate position, from which it is restored to normal by the returning ball after actuating the switch contacts. If this member is a lever moved di- 3,359,389 Patented Dec. 19, I967 rectly on return of the ball, this operation depends on the height of the ball track; since, however, the ball does not fall freely but is slowed down by guiding surfaces, its impact is not always constant.

The invention has for one of its objects the provision of a time switch of the aforedescribed character whose contacts can be actuated by the movable control member without regard to the dimensions of the traveling body.

A further object is the provision of means in such a time switch for exerting a high contact pressure. Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a device which has a minimum contact stroke and despite small dimensions, develops a high contact pressure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind described in which a restoring member directly effects a switching operation.

According to an advantageous feature, these problems are solved by providing a force-transmitting member or yoke between the switch contacts and the control member responding to the return of the traveling body, this forcetransmitting member bearing upon a pin which acts as a floating fulcrum for a lever having one arm engaged by a spring and another arm carrying a movable switch contact. The force-transmitting member is manually displaceable, together with the contact-operating lever, by a trigger element which cocks and releases a spring-loaded plunger serving as a launching device for the traveling body. Toward the end of the actuating stroke of the trigger element, the force-transmitting member is latched in a position in which the movable contact bears upon an associated fixed contact under the force of the leverengaging spring. At th esame time the control member, which may be a swingable arm, is moved by a coasting extremity of the yoke-shaped force-transmitting member into a position of preparedness in which a pocket of this control member is ready to receive the traveling body at the end of its descending track; the impact of this body upon the control member unlatches the force-transmitting yoke member by movement generally at right angles to the stress direction of the spring, which advantageously is also the direction of contact closure, so that only a slight force needs to be exerted by the control member to allow the spring to return the contact-operating mechanism to normal. Thus, the traveling body may be designed as a small ball.

The invention is described below, by way of example only, with reference to a specific embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing, .in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a time switch according to U.S. Patent No. 3,296,390 in which the side wall nearer to the viewer is omitted and the movable parts are shown dotted; the actual switch to which the present invention relates is also omitted;

FIG. 2 shows a switch provided in the arrangement according to FIG. 1 in the starting position corresponding to the arrangement of parts shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a representation corresponding to FIG. 2 in another position, in which actuation of the timecontrol device is carried out;

FIG. 4 shows a View similar to FIG. 2 in a further position in which the actuation process has been taken further than in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 2 in another position in which a further working situation of the device is shown.

FIG. 1 shows a shell or casing part of a time switch in a housing 1 open towards the viewer. The shell consists of a side wall parallel to the plane of the drawing and upright webs directed towards the viewer. In this housing, apart from the upright side webs, there are also webs running parallel to the plane of the drawing.

The webs 2 and 3 are directed from a starting position 4 of a traveling body 5 to the beginning 6 of a guide path which includes sloping shelves 7, 8, 9 and 10 shown descending from right to left. These webs are rigidly arranged in the housing 1.

The web 3 is extended parallel to the web 7 by a web 53. The web 53 is inclined downwardly to an end stop 54, in front of which there is an opening 55 through which the body 5 can fall. The shelves 7, 8, 9 and '10 are associated with shelves 12 and 13 of a slide part 56 shown dotted, which forms the other housing shell and is movable in the direction of the arrow 11, the shelves 12 and 13 engaging between the shelves 7 and 8 and between the shelves 3 and 9 respectively. The webs run substantially perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.

It can be seen that, by the degree of overlapping of the shelves 7 to 9 on the one hand and the shelves 12, 13 on the other, narrow cascade-like running paths for the operating body 5 are provided which have variable lengths. In FIG. 1 we have shown the right-hand end of a launching and receiving device for the body 5, generally designated 22, whose left-hand end not shown in FIG. 1 is represented in FIG. 2 on a larger scale. A vertical wall 57 and a horizontal wall 58 adjoin the web 10 on the left-hand end and define a compartment also shown in FIG. 2 together with the elements assembled therein.

These elements include a switch actuating control member 14. This member forms a pocket 15 for receiving the body 5. The other end of this control member is fulcrumed on a pivot pin 16 (FIG. 2) which is mounted in the housing -1, preferably in the housing shell shown in FIG. 1. The left-hand end (FIG. 2) of member 14 has an actuating tongue '17 Which is in contact with a projection 18 of a bridge member or yoke 19 forming part of an exposure timer comprising switch contacts 27, 28. The projection 18 has a lug 77 which co-operates with the angled end of the actuating tongue 17. The angled portion is provided so that the surface contact with the nose-piece 77 is possible.

The pocket 15 leads into at least one elongated arm 20 whose free end carries a disc 21 mounted in the rear and front (not shown in FIG. 1) of the housing in order to prevent lateral movement of the assembly.

The launching device 22 consists 'of a plunger 23 which is guided parallel to the plane of the drawing under the action of a spring 24 in a bearing arrangement so disposed that the spring is unstressed when the plunger is located in the starting position shown and becomes stressed on movement of the plunger to the left in FIG. 1, so that the retracted plunger jumps forward (i.e. to the right as viewed in FIG. 1) on release and propels the body 5 upwardly between the webs 2 and 3. The spring 24 is supported at one end on a downwardly-inclined portion 72 of the pocket 15 and at the other end on a housing web 73. The body 5, for example a steel ball, moves on actuation of the launching device 22 on to the shelf 7 and then runs in the cascade of shelves 7, 8, 13, 9 and 10 back to the pocket 15, into which it falls on leaving the shelf 10. The length of the path of movement is determined by the adjustment of the member 56 in the direction of the arrow 17, that is by varying the amount of overlapping of the shelves 7, 8, 9 on the one hand and 72 and 73 on the other. Overshooting of the body 5 is prevented by rebound surfaces or webs 59, 60' or 61 and the upright wall 57.

The left-hand end of the launching device 22 is shown at 25. This end includes an upwardly-directed hook 26 (FIG. 2). The parts previously described correspond essentially to the device described in US. Patent No. 3,296,- 390.

The switch, FIG. 2, operated by the control member 14 has a fixed con-tact 27 and a movable co-operating con-tact 28. The movable contact 28 is located on a two-arm lever 29 which is swingable about a pivot pin 30 and has two arms 35 and 36 of which the shorter arm 36 carries the movable contact 28. The pivot pin 30 is rotatably mounted in a fork 31, integral with yoke member 19, whose prongs extend parallel to the plane of the drawing but are spaced from one another. The pivot pin 30 projects perpendicular to the plane of the drawing on either side of the prongs of the yoke 19 and engages in a guide slot '32 arranged in a rigid support 33 shown dotted. This support 33 consists for example of two spaced plates arranged in the housing shell 1 parallel to the plane of the drawing, the separation of which can be adjusted by bolts 62, 63 and 64, and between these plates the terminal tag 65 of the fixed contact 27 is clamped by fastening means shown as a rivet 66. The guide slot 32 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the contact 27. The lever 29 is thus movable with the pivot pin 30 relative to the fixed contact 27 while being also pivotable about the pivot pin 30.

In the housing 1, an abutment 34 is provided on which the lever 29, namely the free end of its arm 35, can rest. An anchor pin 38 for a tension spring '37 is also provided in the housing, the spring being secured to the lever arm 35. This arm is shown to have teeth 39 separated by notches 40 which form a series of alternate spring mount so that the effective force of the spring 37 can be chosen by inserting it in a selected notch 40.

It can be seen that on movement of the yoke 19 in an upward direction according to FIG. 2, the lever 29 floatingly fulcrumed in slot 32 is first pivoted about the pin 34 until the contacts 27, 28 engage. The arm 35 is then raised from the pin 34, further stressing the spring 37, so that the contact pressure increases. The choice of the particular notch 40 used determines the magnitude of the contact pressure.

It can also be seen that the fixed contact 27 is energized by a lead 41 and the movable contact 28 by a lead 42. The lever 29 consists of conductive material. As shown in FIG. 2, the leads 41 and 42 pass through a channel 67 to a connection 74 (FIG. 3). Opposite its projection 18, the yoke 19 carries an angular projection 43 which, in the starting position, projects into an angled guide path 44 for an actuating member or trigger 45,

shown in cross-section, which cocks (FIG. 3) and re leases (FIG. 4) the ball launcher 22, 25. The guide path 44 is formed by recesses in the side walls of the housing. In one side wall of the housing, the recess is open so that the actuating member 45 can extend perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The hook-like projection 26 projects into the guide path 44. Projection 43 has a contact surface 68 cooperating with an edge 69 of actuating member 45.

The yoke 19 also has an opening 70 bounded by a rim 48. A pin 49 mounted in the housing projects through the opening. The lower edge of the rim 48 extends substantially horizontally whereas the upper edge forms a ramp 52 (FIG. 5) terminating in an indentation 71 substantially above the midpoint of the lower edge.

If the actuating member 45 is moved in the direction of the arrow 46 and assumes the position 45' shown in FIG. 3, the left-hand end 25 of the launching device 22 is released on a slight further movement, when the actuating member 45 passes over the hook 26, so that the body 5 is propelled upwardly into channel 2, 3.

Upon further leftward movement, the actuating member 45 ascends the upwardly inclined portion 47 of the guide path 44 and, with its edge 69, contacts the noselike projection 43 (FIG. 4). The yoke 19 is thus moved upwardly towards the left. This movement is in part pre vented, however by the rim 48 of the opening '71) through which the fixed pin 49 passes.

The movement of the yoke 19 is thus controlled by the shape of the rim 48 of the opening and so takes place substantially horizontally. Consequently, the projection 43 is gradually raised from the guide 44 while the pivot pin 30 is moved upwardly and to the left in its guide slot 32. The lever 29 is also moved thereby and guides the movable contact 28 onto the fixed contact 26. The spring 37 becomes stressed at the same time and provides a satisfactory contact pressure. After making contact, the arm 35 of the lever 29 is raised from the pin 34, further stressing the spring 37.

At the same time, the projection 18 on the yoke 19 bears upon the bent extremity of the tongue 17 of the control member 14.

As shown in FIG. 5, in which the lug 43 has swung clear of the cascading trigger element 45, the control member 14 is thus moved into a raised position of preparedness in which the pocket 15 lies beneath the discharge opening 50 in the guide-path assembly (FIG. 1). When the actuating member 45 has thus reached its end position 51 in the terminal portion 47 of the guide path 44, the yoke 19 has also been moved so far that the triangular notch 71 of the opening 70- has come to rest against the pin 49. The yoke 19 is thus held in this position, even if the actuating member 45 is then moved back to the starting position from the position 51, i.e. to the right as shown by the arrow 53 (FIG. 5). The bridge 19 is then controlled by the spring 37, which maintains the somewhat steeper flank of notch 71 in contact with the pin 49. At this point, the lever 29 movable about the pin 30 is so stressed by the spring 37 that an excellent contact pressure is maintained.

When the switch member 14 is pivoted about the pin 16 into the position shown in FIG. 1, i.e. clockwise, by the ball or traveling body 5 falling from the opening 50, so that the tongue 17 is moved upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 5, the yoke 19 is raised by the tongue 17 and the latching engagement at 49, 71 is released. The spring 37, by means of the lever 29, then draws the yoke 19 downwardly and to the right into the starting position according to FIG. 2, to the extent allowed by guidance of the pin 49 on the upper edge flank 76 of the opening 70. The lever arm 35 then re-engages the pin 34 and the spring 37 withdraws the movable contact 28 from the fixed contact 27. The switching process is thus ended.

It is important to note that the switch is operable for closure by manual movement of the actuating member 45 and openable by a slight force exerted by the switch member 14, only the spring 37 being provided for producing both the contact pressure and the opening movement and the movable contact being carried on the forked lever 29 which is both linearly shiftable and pivotable. The floating pivot 30 if lever 29, guided in slot 32, has a direction of movement inclined with reference to that of the stud 49 playing in the cutout 70 of the force-transmitting yoke member 19 which, in turn, is shiftable in the direction of contact closure while being swingable about the pivot pin 30 and urged into its operative position by the action of the spring 37. It is therefore important that the stress direction of the spring 37 should be substantially parallel to the path of the movable contact 28, so that the contact pressure is largely governed by the spring. The arms of the lever 29 thus allow the contact pressure to be suitably adjusted. On the other hand, the arrangement is such that the release movement of the tongue 17 of the lever 14 is directed substantially perpendicularly to the spring 37, i.e. parallel to ramp 52 so that this release movement does not need to overcome the spring force but is opposed only by the friction between ramp 52 and pin 49; hence release can occur with a force considerably smaller than the contact pressure. It can therefore be seen that, with the arrangement disclosed, the control member 14 does not have to exert any substantial leverage.

We claim:

1. A time switch comprising contact means movable from a normal position to an off-normal position to perform a switching operation; operating means for said contact means; spring means engaging said operating means for tending to maintain said contact means in said normal position; a traveling body; guide means forming a descending track for said body; launching means for starting said body along said track; manually operable trigger means for said launching means displaceable into engagement with said operating means and displacing same against the force of said spring means substantially concurrently with the launching of said body, thereby moving said contact means to said off-normal position; latch means positioned for engagement with said operating means upon the displacement of the latter by said trigger means; and a control member disposed to intercept said body at the end of said track, said control member having an extension juxtaposed with said operating means for disengaging same from said latch means in response to interception of said body by said control member whereby said spring means restores said operating means with consequent return of said contact means to said normal position.

2. A time switch as defined in claim 1 wherein said operating means includes a lever having a floating fulcrum and a force-transmitting member bearing upon said fulcrum, said lever having a first arm engaging said contact means and a second arm engaged by said spring means.

3. A time switch as defined in claim 2 wherein said contact means includes a pair of normally open contacts and said floating fulcrum comprises a pin on said lever provided with support means for guiding said pin in a contact-closing direction substantially parallel to the direction of stress of said spring means, said force-transmitting member being pivoted on said pin and movable in said contact-closing direction -by said trigger means.

4. A time switch as defined in claim 3 wherein said force-transmittin member is generally yoke-shaped and provided with a first and a second projecting extremity respectively engageable by said trigger means and by said extension of said control member.

5. A time switch as defined in claim 4 wherein said trigger means comprises a manually displaceable element positioned to contact said first extremity and provided with a guide path having a terminal portion extending in said contact-closing direction, said control member comprising an arm pivoted for swinging movement of said extension along an are generally perpendicular to said direction.

6. A time switch as defined in claim 5 wherein said force-transmitting member is provided with a cutout bounded by a rim having a notch, said latch means comprising a stud playing in said cutout and receivable in said notch upon displacement of said operating means by said trigger means, said notch having a flank sub stantially perpendicular to said contact-closing direction.

7. A time switch as defined in claim 5 wherein said arm forms a pocket for receiving said body upon the return thereof from said track, said extension being disposed to coact with said second extremity for elevating said pocket into a position of preparedness adjacent the end of said track upon the displacement of said element along said terminal portion, said launching means including a spring-loaded plunger entrainable by said element for cocking and release prior to displacement of said force-transmitting member.

8. A time switch as defined in claim 7 wherein said latch means comprises a fixed formation engaging a coacting formation on said force-transmitting member, said formations being shaped to disengage said first extremity from said manually displaceable element prior to arrival of the latter at the end of said terminal portion.

9. A time switch as defined in claim 7 wherein said guide means comprises a plurality of cascaded sloping shelves relatively displaceable for varying the effective length of said track, the lowermost one of said shelves terminating directly above said pocket in said position of preparedness.

10. A time switch as defined in claim 2 wherein said second arm is provided with a plurality of indentations for selective anchorage to said spring means at different distances from said fulcrum.

8 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS.

2,074,560 3/1937 Radtke. 2,627,411 2/1953 Ba-rtlarn et a1 200-6111 3,296,390 1/1967 Salger 200-33 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

H. E. SPRINGBORN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TIME SWITCH COMPRISING CONTACT MEANS MOVABLE FROM A NORMAL POSITION TO AN OFF-NORMAL POSITION TO PERFORM A SWITCHING OPERATION; OPERATING MEANS FOR SAID CONTACT MEANS; SPRING MEANS ENGAGING SAID OPERATING MEANS FOR TENDING TO MAINTAIN SAID CONTACT MEANS IN SAID NORMAL POSITION; A TRAVELING BODY; GUIDE MEANS FORMING A DESCENDING TRACK FOR SAID BODY; LAUNCHING MEANS FOR STARTING SAID BODY ALONG SAID TRACK; MANUALLY OPERABLE TRIGGER MEANS FOR SAID LAUNCHING MEANS DISPLACEABLE INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OPERATING MEANS AND DISPLACING SAME AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY CONCURRENTLY WITH THE LAUNCHING OF SAID BODY, THEREBY MOVING SAID CONTACT MEANS TO SAID OFF-NORMAL POSITION; LATCH MEANS POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID OPERATING MEANS UPON THE DISPLACEMENT OF THE LATTER BY SAID 